I, WARRIOR

“the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it”

By now, it should be crystal clear that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. This is the scenario that we’ve been watching in movies for the past 20 years. Yes, Friends, this is truly a battle of the Light against the Darkness. Now, if you’ll kindly re-read the quote above, which is from the Bible, by the way, you’ll have advance notice of the happy ending that awaits. But this is not going to be a passive happy ending. You’re going to have to participate, perhaps for the first time in your life.

And so, if you believe that we are at battle, then that means that you are a warrior. You can no longer bury your head in the sand (or any other dark and dirty place) and pretend that nothing is happening. This is not going to turn out to be “business as usual”, while you pretend to go your merry way. But you already know that, don’t you?

Your conscious mind may be battling within itself, leaving deep claw marks in the “Denial” section, but you know in your heart that it’s futile to continue to fight.

A Warrior takes care of her/his body. If your body is for-shit, you’re useless. A body with problems is a distraction. And we need you to not be distracted. Did you know that Americans are the most out-of-shape people in the world? And, that’s not only physically. It’s also intellectually, educationally, nutritionally. You know it’s true. Just get on with it.

You must get your body in shape. By “in shape”, I mean FIT. STRONG. FLEXIBLE. Able to perform what it’s called upon to do. I’m not talking about getting thin, although it is true that 71 percent of American women, 61 percent of the men and 33 percent of our children are overweight or obese.

You must exercise. The more, the better. How about daily? Nobody cares if you “hate exercising”. This isn’t about you anymore. It’s not about becoming a bodybuilder, either. Or doing it perfectly, whatever that even means. It’s about showing up and starting from wherever you are. It’s about being able to walk a long distance if you have to. Or run, if called upon to do so. Or lift something or move something without tearing yourself up or ruining your back.

If you’ve never exercised in your life, no problem. You’re not alone. Only about 24 percent of Americans exercise regularly. Can you walk? Then do that. Start there. If you’ve already got a fitness regime, bump it up somehow. Today, I decided to add running to my arsenal of various (strenuous and fun) physical activities. I never liked running, but it’s not about me anymore. I may be called upon to run one day. I want to be ready. The more different forms of exercise you can engage in, the better. Swimming, walking, weight training, functional fitness, basketball, jump roping, hula hooping, dancing, ice skating, roller skating, yoga, bike riding, running. Plyometrics or any form of functional fitness in which you’re using your own body weight as your gym equipment is best. This is how you get truly strong. And when you’re finished with one of these workouts, you feel like you could conquer the world. And, hey, you may have to.

Put down the swill. Getting drunk is nothing more than self-poisoning. If you’ve got a problem with drinking, remember that it’s only a symptom. Hurting yourself more isn’t going to help anyone. We need you to be strong. Enough said.

Stop eating crap. Or at least, cut down on the crap. Figure out how to cook natural foods and stop being a hapless victim to the fast-food, processed-food mongers serving you up devitalized, chemicalized garbage and calling it nutrition. You may not even be aware of how lousy that stuff makes you feel – how lazy and unmotivated, physically logy and mentally dulled.

Get your mind in shape. Stop wasting time with nonsense in an attempt to deny what you know. Turn off the tv. Limit your time on Facebook. Read something, you know, like an actual book or a full-length article, anything that’s going to develop your brain. Learn about American History, how about that? Or, here’s an idea: read The U.S. Constitution, just for kicks: http://constitutionus.com/

Clean up your mental garbage. You know, all that crap that takes up space in your head, causing depression and anxiety and stifling your creativity. Keep agreements with yourself and others cause every time we don’t, we make a deposit in the Bank of No Returns, contributing to low self-esteem and a generalized loss of power and function. It clogs up your head. We need for your head to be clear.

Meditate. Many people think that they have to “learn to meditate” or take a class. You can take a class if you want to. Or, if you’ve never done it, you can start by just sitting still for 30 minutes a day. Doing so allows you to feel your own life, to feel your emotions and what’s weighing on your mind and what you need to clean up and get rid of, or where your character is in need of refinement. Most people spend their whole lives running around “being busy”. This is a ruse, a trick that you’re playing on yourself. And, you’re not fooling anybody, believe it. It’s you who is coming up short.

If you want to learn a more formal technique, look online for instruction. Take a class at a church or a spiritual center. Do it alone or with other people. You never even have to leave your house, if you don’t want to.

Read spiritual materials, daily, so that you remember that you are an unwavering light, supported by the forces for good, in every moment. You are a spiritual being have a human experience. Remember that.

Write. Keep a journal. Put down your feelings, your frustration, your anger, your grief, your sadness, your depression, your hopelessness, your helplessness. Doing so prevents all these emotions from building up in your bodily tissues and causing you all sorts of problems.

And, so, Good People of the Light, it’s time to get with it. Time to make yourself into the strongest, most solid warrior possible. “Things,” as they say, “are going to get worse before they get better.”

But you already know that.

If nothing else, by following these simple guidelines, you’ll FEEL a lot better, in every possible way. Don’t you think you deserve that, at least?

See you on the battlefield. We’ll recognize each other. We’ll be the ones with the bright eyes, the spring in our step, the lightness of spirit, and the open hearts.

Remember: we must keep our hearts open, even if it’s excruciatingly difficult. All of these practices I’ve just outlined can contribute to being fully present to everything. Our open hearts are going to make all thedifference. We already know how this turns out: “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.”

And, we’re going to have to show up, fully. Eyes wide open. Hearts on fire.

Comments

I, Warrior was so well written! I could literally feel the author’s push to “get ready” for the battle. The motivation of to shine and not be overcome by darkness (which could represent so many different things on life’s journey) is authentic, true and biblical. I love this piece!